Why: I have been interested in the genre since I first saw the film Bladerunner. I like the idea of a parallel universal dystopia of Earth, ruled by technology. Our world is already going toward this idea, and these stories are not altogether impossible. I'm used to writing fantasy fiction and have only read science fiction. This will give me a chance to dabble in it by writing a couple vignettes.
What I know about the genre: I know that the worlds are generally presented in dystopia: dark and dirty, overrun with crime and drugs, generally unpleasant. It is also surrounded by the idea of advanced technology, computers and interfaces. It also holds a blurred line between human and machine, a world where you might not be able to tell if the person sitting next to you on the train is alive or artificial intelligence.
Dear Kelsea: It sounds like you really know what you're talking about. The challenge for a short piece is to tell the story and not spend a lot of time explaining the setting, the background tor the world. Usually the details of the setting can be worked into the plot. I guess the other challenge is not to write about the same dystopian world that has been overdone in sci fi. I like the proposal very much.
Bill
Annotated Bibliography
Vignettes
Riedl, Mark O. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~riedl/pubs/riedl-ijwcc08.pdf Accessed Feb. 4, 2011.
This source gives reasoning as to why we use vignette to tell certain aspects of a story instead of the whole thing. It goes further to explain how the use of this genre will create more valuable storytelling abilities, and make story creation as a whole more lucrative.
Mascle, Deanna. http://www.squidoo.com/vignettes Accessed Feb. 4, 2011.
This source offers several different descriptions of what a vignette is, or what it can be used for. It gives a definition, and gives a reason for why people write them. Quote boxes give insights as to how they can be written.
Cyberpunk
Scott, Ridley (1982). Blade Runner. Accessed Feb. 1, 2011.
This visual perspective was created in the world of cyberpunk. It was based on the book written by Philip K. Dick called “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” It blurs the line between human and machine, the advancement of technology versus human kind. It gave me several ideas on how to approach the genre, showing both new technology and what could become reality. It is a bit dated, but the film is contingent with the time.
Bethke, Bruce (1980). Cyberpunk. http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/cpunk.htm Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
This spin on cyberpunk comes in the form of hackers and an advanced computerized system. It shows the rebellion of an age that learned how to utilize the codes and do good for themselves at the demise of others. This is not far from the truth, and also gave inspiration to the writing.
Anonymous (2009). Cyberpunked. http://www.cyberpunked.org/cyberpunk/ Accessed Feb. 2, 2011
This article breaks down what it means to be a cyberpunk. It tells what a cyberpunk stands for and believes in, and what it takes to be one. This article will help with character development and plotline through the characters’ eyes. It also explains the culture surrounding the word and its use in society.
User's Guide To Cyberpunk Vignettes
Vignettes
The medium itself is seen more regularly in forms of screenplays or sketches. It is a snapshot of a moment in time, something of importance to emphasize and learn from. It is usually from the character's point of view, to show them coming to terms with a personal battle, like a personal reflection. They are also quite fast paced, giving enough information and detail to understand what is happening in the situation at hand. Modes of entertainment such as sitcoms or plays are generally done in a vignette style. It shows a portion of a whole story, or can be stand alone. It can refer to flash fiction stories, fewer than 500 words, or upwards into in the short stories range. It is to be used for emphasis on a particular situation, character development, setting, etc. As long as it is a fully expressed idea, the piece of work can be called a vignette. It can even contain a fully developed plot and character base and still qualify for this medium.
Cyberpunk - Setting
Many cyberpunk stories are set in eras of distopia or very fathomable futures. In most literatures of science fiction, technology has run rampant and the Earth is overcrowded and polluted. The settings of cyberpunk stories pull from these ideas, but also blurring the line between humanity and technology. This is usually where flying cars or automatonic machinery come into play. It is a generally dark world, little sunlight and rains plenty. Since most stories are written for the future, companies of today, such as Coca Cola or Walmart, may grow to have more power and influence. The cities are usually run by a dictator company, or megacorporation, that builds robots or androids, saying that they are bettering the world of tomorrow. There is also heavy Japanese influence on the culture, and the money and even the fashion influencing the populas.
Cyberpunk - Characters
The world is still largely occupied by humans of all races. But as stated above, this is a world that entertains the idea that humans and technology can become one. Beings such as these are referred to as Androids. Even in modern days, we are testing this technology with prosthetics. But Androids are otherworldly. They can look and feel and bleed like humans, but have a robotic base, computer interface, and far superior precision. Think of Terminator or Bishop from the Alien Quadrilogy. These beings are the super human, most commonly found in military uniforms or as policeman.
Writing characters in the culture of cyberpunk understand this. They find themselves as being caught in a struggle between themselves and the system, manifesting into privacy and security both off and online. They recognize the downfall of the world and try to do something about it. This is where people who are hackers or phreaks get highly involved with the internet and cyberspace, doing something to go against the grain and be largely undetected by the megacorporation. They learn to use the tools of the system against itself in order to bring about a sort of distortion and rebellion of human life.
Unfamiliar Genre Project
Proposal
What: Cyberpunk VignettesWhy: I have been interested in the genre since I first saw the film Bladerunner. I like the idea of a parallel universal dystopia of Earth, ruled by technology. Our world is already going toward this idea, and these stories are not altogether impossible. I'm used to writing fantasy fiction and have only read science fiction. This will give me a chance to dabble in it by writing a couple vignettes.
What I know about the genre: I know that the worlds are generally presented in dystopia: dark and dirty, overrun with crime and drugs, generally unpleasant. It is also surrounded by the idea of advanced technology, computers and interfaces. It also holds a blurred line between human and machine, a world where you might not be able to tell if the person sitting next to you on the train is alive or artificial intelligence.
Dear Kelsea:
It sounds like you really know what you're talking about. The challenge for a short piece is to tell the story and not spend a lot of time explaining the setting, the background tor the world. Usually the details of the setting can be worked into the plot. I guess the other challenge is not to write about the same dystopian world that has been overdone in sci fi. I like the proposal very much.
Bill
Annotated Bibliography
VignettesRiedl, Mark O. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~riedl/pubs/riedl-ijwcc08.pdf Accessed Feb. 4, 2011.
This source gives reasoning as to why we use vignette to tell certain aspects of a story instead of the whole thing. It goes further to explain how the use of this genre will create more valuable storytelling abilities, and make story creation as a whole more lucrative.
Mascle, Deanna. http://www.squidoo.com/vignettes Accessed Feb. 4, 2011.
This source offers several different descriptions of what a vignette is, or what it can be used for. It gives a definition, and gives a reason for why people write them. Quote boxes give insights as to how they can be written.
Cyberpunk
Scott, Ridley (1982). Blade Runner. Accessed Feb. 1, 2011.
This visual perspective was created in the world of cyberpunk. It was based on the book written by Philip K. Dick called “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” It blurs the line between human and machine, the advancement of technology versus human kind. It gave me several ideas on how to approach the genre, showing both new technology and what could become reality. It is a bit dated, but the film is contingent with the time.
Bethke, Bruce (1980). Cyberpunk. http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/cpunk.htm Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
This spin on cyberpunk comes in the form of hackers and an advanced computerized system. It shows the rebellion of an age that learned how to utilize the codes and do good for themselves at the demise of others. This is not far from the truth, and also gave inspiration to the writing.
Anonymous (2009). Cyberpunked. http://www.cyberpunked.org/cyberpunk/ Accessed Feb. 2, 2011
This article breaks down what it means to be a cyberpunk. It tells what a cyberpunk stands for and believes in, and what it takes to be one. This article will help with character development and plotline through the characters’ eyes. It also explains the culture surrounding the word and its use in society.
User's Guide To Cyberpunk Vignettes
VignettesThe medium itself is seen more regularly in forms of screenplays or sketches. It is a snapshot of a moment in time, something of importance to emphasize and learn from. It is usually from the character's point of view, to show them coming to terms with a personal battle, like a personal reflection. They are also quite fast paced, giving enough information and detail to understand what is happening in the situation at hand. Modes of entertainment such as sitcoms or plays are generally done in a vignette style. It shows a portion of a whole story, or can be stand alone. It can refer to flash fiction stories, fewer than 500 words, or upwards into in the short stories range. It is to be used for emphasis on a particular situation, character development, setting, etc. As long as it is a fully expressed idea, the piece of work can be called a vignette. It can even contain a fully developed plot and character base and still qualify for this medium.
Cyberpunk - Setting
Many cyberpunk stories are set in eras of distopia or very fathomable futures. In most literatures of science fiction, technology has run rampant and the Earth is overcrowded and polluted. The settings of cyberpunk stories pull from these ideas, but also blurring the line between humanity and technology. This is usually where flying cars or automatonic machinery come into play. It is a generally dark world, little sunlight and rains plenty. Since most stories are written for the future, companies of today, such as Coca Cola or Walmart, may grow to have more power and influence. The cities are usually run by a dictator company, or megacorporation, that builds robots or androids, saying that they are bettering the world of tomorrow. There is also heavy Japanese influence on the culture, and the money and even the fashion influencing the populas.
Cyberpunk - Characters
The world is still largely occupied by humans of all races. But as stated above, this is a world that entertains the idea that humans and technology can become one. Beings such as these are referred to as Androids. Even in modern days, we are testing this technology with prosthetics. But Androids are otherworldly. They can look and feel and bleed like humans, but have a robotic base, computer interface, and far superior precision. Think of Terminator or Bishop from the Alien Quadrilogy. These beings are the super human, most commonly found in military uniforms or as policeman.
Writing characters in the culture of cyberpunk understand this. They find themselves as being caught in a struggle between themselves and the system, manifesting into privacy and security both off and online. They recognize the downfall of the world and try to do something about it. This is where people who are hackers or phreaks get highly involved with the internet and cyberspace, doing something to go against the grain and be largely undetected by the megacorporation. They learn to use the tools of the system against itself in order to bring about a sort of distortion and rebellion of human life.